Just because OT Month has passed does not mean it’s time to take a break from promoting the profession. If you attended Karen Jacobs’ Slagle lecture at AOTA’s 92^nd Annual Conference & Expo last month, you know that getting the message of occupational therapy out to the masses is a year-round job.

First, notice the title of this blog: “How to become a reporter’s favorite source.” Surprisingly, reporters, not editors, are the best to focus on. While an editor’s job is to weed out the junk in the hundreds of e-mails and calls they receive, reporters are always under pressure to come up with compelling stories and ideas. Building a solid working relationship with reporters is the key to sharing your expertise with the world.

Here are just a few tips for getting started:

Be Proactive

• Break the ice early. Connect through social media at least 6 months in advance of pitching your idea to get “introduced.” Don’t wait until you need something to get in touch. Introduce yourself at a function or local meeting, if possible. Compliment the reporter on a story through the comments section of the publication's Web site.

• Set up a meeting with the reporter, when possible. Focus on the reporter's needs rather than selling yourself or your idea. This will help when it's time to pitch an idea.

Be Helpful

• Offer information that they cannot find elsewhere. This will make you the "go-to" person in your field.

• Give good information that checks out. Don’t oversell. By doing research ahead of time, make sure that what you’re providing is something that they’re actually interested in.

• Offer to connect them with other experts if you’re not the best. They’ll remember your honesty and appreciate the new contact.

• Take the work off their shoulders – don’t make the reporter do any digging.

Be Different

• Demand their attention with something catchy. Use an interesting fact or quote in the subject line. Include a photo when appropriate. Some reporters receive upwards of one e-mail every minute. Some thought needs to be put into getting noticed. Separate yourself from the crowd.

• Promote the information’s worth. Let them know that by speaking with you, they will gain a whole new knowledge, story, etc., and their readers will benefit from it.

• Generally, national media will find you. Make yourself known professionally through social media like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and blogs.

• Be friendly. You’d be surprised how you’ll set yourself apart instantly if you show a little kindness.

Next week: How to REMAIN a reporter's favorite source.

Here is a brief round-up of media coverage of AOTA’s 92nd Annual Conference & Expo in Indianapolis:

• Former POW Jessica Lynch attracted some media attention at the plenary session on Saturday morning. WTHR-TV, NBC 13 in Indianapolis ran this story: http://www.wthr.com/story/17927534/former-pow-lynch-speaks-to-indianapolis-therapists. Due to threatening weather in Indy on Saturday, it aired a day later on Sunday night. The news director will be sending the full report with video of Jessica’s speech and crowd reaction later this week and it will post to the OT in the News page once it’s available.

• The Today Show/MSNBC picked it up and ran the story on its site as well: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/47226704/ns/local_news-indianapolis_in/

• In addition, AOTA's Chief Public Affairs Officer Christina Metzler spoke with a reporter from WIBC-FM Radio in Indianapolis about the older driver safety initiative and CarFit: http://www.wibc.com/news/Story.aspx?ID=1693247

• Other media at conference included reporters from The Indy Star, Today in OT, and Advance for OT. Once articles are available, all will be shared on the OT in the News page. 

A big thank you to all who helped to make these interviews possible.

See a familiar face on the TV in your doctor’s waiting room? You just might.

Occupational therapist and accessibility consultant Carroll Fernstrom is featured in a discussion on “Home Safety and Fall Prevention for Older Adults” produced by Guiding Lights. The video was released this week and will be used for patient education.

Click here to view the video

The interview with Nicole Bruno was taped in January and made possible by a grant from UNC Health Care Systems. Fernstrom’s advice for preventing falls and making homes safer for adults who want to age in place will be included with about a dozen other interviews and used at health fairs and in waiting rooms.

Are you interested in using a newspaper to promote OT Month but don’t have the time to commit to an interview? A letter to the editor may be a good option for you (and can be written at any time of day!).

Friday’s Times-Tribune in Scranton, Pa. includes an excellent example penned by AOTA member Gary Duncan about the importance of occupational therapy.

Here is an excerpt:

“Occupational therapy enables people to live life to its fullest by helping them promote health, prevent - or live better with - injury, illness or disability…The goal is to maximize potential. The services of occupational therapy are available to residents of Northeast Pennsylvania through hospitals, home health agencies, schools, clinics and nursing homes.”

(To read the full letter to the editor, click here)

If you are reading this and thinking, “I can totally do that,” here are some tips to get your letter to the editor noticed by readers:

• Craft a punchy headline. Be truthful, but get creative!

• Be brief and to the point. A long letter and a short letter may both grab readers’ attention, however, the shorter one is more likely to be read in full.

• Remember your audience. Avoid jargon that the general public will not understand. Be sure to explain your message simply.

• Localize a national issue. Many community publications will only publish letters of a local nature. Be sure to explain that occupational therapy services are available in your town.

• Relate your message to recent news. Letters that are in direct response to a previous article or letter are more likely to be published. Be sure to cite the article’s title and publication date in your submission so the editor knows exactly what you are talking about.

• Include your name. Only under extreme circumstances are anonymous letters published. Be sure to include your full name and city of residence for publication.

• Send your letter via e-mail (unless otherwise specified). If an editorial assistant does not have to retype it, this could mean a quicker turnaround.

• Provide your contact information. Most newspapers will not print submissions without first verifying that you are an actual human being. Be sure to leave both a phone number and e-mail address so that the editor can verify the letter, discuss edits, and ask questions, if any.  Be sure to check the newspaper’s guidelines – some have more specific requirements.

Have you submitted a letter to the editor about occupational therapy? Did you have success? Need help getting a letter to the right person? I’d love to hear from you. E-mail kriley@aota.org.

In honor of both OT Month and Autism Awareness Month, I wanted to share an excerpt of an AOTA press release that went to Cincinnati media outlets today. This story is a testament to the important role occupational therapy has with autism spectrum disorder management.

Cincinnati, Ohio — When their son Adam Somsakhein was just 9 months old, pediatrician parents Denise Somsak and Patrick Hein began to notice “significant delays” in his development.

“He wasn’t able to sit up on his own and he was not speaking,” Somsak said.

A diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) confirmed their concerns.

Now an 8-year-old second-grader at Blue Ash Elementary School, Adam is learning to express his feelings and complete daily activities with the help of an occupational therapist.

“Adam has made great strides in tasks like eating and drinking. Speech is a big thing – we weren’t sure he’d ever talk,” Somsak said, adding that Adam has been in speech therapy and occupational therapy since he was 2. “The occupational therapy piece is so important to his life. We wanted to focus on developing skills to help with his daily living, like feeding himself and speaking. With his school therapy, we set goals, and they help us work on it.”

Asha Asher, MA, OTR/L, FAOTA, MEd, is one of the school-based therapists who works with Adam at Blue Ash. When she met Adam as a kindergartener, he was unable to drink from a cup and instead used a sippy cup or straw. Somsak said that Adam drooled until he was 6 because he could not control his facial muscles.

“We worked with him over several months to facilitate higher level oral-motor mouth control through graded challenges. We started with sensory stimulation, or, as Adam described the intervention, ‘Wake Up My Mouth!’ Next, we offered Adam a bit of his favorite cold chocolate milk in a small cup. We helped him to take in small amounts and move it to the back of his mouth and swallow, without tilting his head. As he improved, we gradually increased the quantity he could drink safely. Now he can drink milk from a glass and drink appropriately for his age with his peers,” Asher said.

Adam is also learning to become more comfortable holding a pencil. “He can write his name but he doesn’t like to,” Somsak said. In addition to therapeutic activities to foster mature motor control, Asher introduced Adam to a keyboard and used games to get him familiar with the placement of the letters. A special educator worked on creative keyboard activities to develop literacy concepts. Somsak adds that typing helps Adam develop his motor skills and coordination while expressing himself. When his grandfather died recently, Adam was encouraged to share his grief by writing a letter using a keyboard, which he did.

Asher said that yoga has complemented Adam’s occupational therapy because it has helped him improve his sensory organization, muscle coordination, strength, flexibility, and postural control. He’s become more comfortable lying flat on his belly or back, which he disliked before.

Somsak says that Adam’s therapy has motivated him to do things she never thought possible.

“As a mom with two other kids, I know I’m not as good at working with him as the school is,” Somsak said, adding that occupational therapists are her favorite people in the world because they seem to effortlessly understand her son’s quirks. “At first, his grip was terrible. I didn’t think he’d ever learn to zip his own coat or put on his shoes. Now he does both. I don’t know where we would be without these services.”

Asher has worked as a school-based occupational therapist for 35 years. Currently, she works with students with various levels of autism in two elementary schools and one high school in the Sycamore Community School System in Cincinnati, Ohio, including Blue Ash Elementary.

“Occupational therapy will not cure children with autism but will help them to function better in their daily occupations and reach their full potential,” said Asher. “We intervene to manage a child’s behaviors and facilitate the development of new skills. In schools, occupational therapy practitioners collaborate with other professionals to help all students thrive; for example, teachers can incorporate strategies recommended by a therapist to optimize a student’s performance in the classroom.”

Do you have an OT success story to share? Is the client open to media interviews? I’d love to hear from you. I’m always on the lookout for personal stories. Send yours to kriley@aota.org.

OT Month-inspired ‘OT in the News’

Here’s a quick and simple way to promote your profession this OT Month. The following articles featuring occupational therapy are a sampling of those published within the last month. Read a few and share one of your favorites with your social media connections!

4/2/2012: 14 Gadgets to Relieve Fibromyalgia Pain LifeScript.com

3/29/2012: 7 Ways to Manage Everyday Activities…When You Have Osteoarthritis Knee Pain (MSN Health)

3/22/2012: ‘Thankful for life,’ tornado mom on comeback trail The Today Show

3/16/2012: Putting the smarts into smartphones Irish Medical Times

3/15/2012: Therapists can help older people with low vision St. Louis Post-Dispatch

3/5/2012: Therapy Tricks and Tips for Kids with Special Needs Parents

3/1/2012: ‘I Can We Can’ makes therapy fun ABC-7 News, Chicago

2/29/2012: Covington remodel accommodates disabilities The Cincinnati Enquirer

2/29/2012: Safer Over 70: Drivers Keep the Keys The Wall Street Journal

Articles about occupational therapy are posted regularly to AOTA’s OT in the News page. Press releases to media are posted on the Press Releases page. Check both often to see what’s new in news. Do you read something in the news featuring OT recently? Share it here or e-mail me at kriley@aota.org.

Just in time for OT Month, I wanted to share a resource I came across featuring tips to propel occupational therapy into the media.

“109 Ways to Make Your Business Irresistible to the Media” (copyblogger.com) was written by Patrick Garmoe, a social media strategist for a Minnesota digital marketing agency who spent 10 years as a journalist. While the list is intended for entrepreneurs to broadcast their brand, a parallel can be drawn to occupational therapy.

As a newspaper managing editor turned media relations manager, the list made sense to me from both sides of the fence. And much like a business, you can look to these tips as guidelines for your own promotions – especially during OT Month.

The list outlines the importance of building relationships with reporters in advance of pitching your idea, making a smooth transition to the pitch once the relationship is established, ideas to ponder before pitching, creating and delivering “reporter bait,” how to become a favorite source for reporters, and a few techniques to avoid.

Here are a few highlights:

1.     Do not wait until you need something from a reporter to “meet” them. Use social media and the Internet to your advantage. Connect with a reporter on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook (or in real life) more than six months in advance of the pitch. Simple strategies such as Retweeting a story, leaving a comment on a website below the story, and complimenting a reporter on a job well done can set you apart from the crowd.

2.     Offer yourself as an expert on your field of practice. Make sure the reporter knows that their story and their readers will benefit from having you in it.

3.     Define the story in just one sentence that you can explain in just 10 seconds. The elevator pitch is vital to the success of the pitch. Keep it concise and keep it informative but do not overwhelm the reporter with a barrage of facts.

4.     Keep e-mail correspondence short. So not send a large amount of research for reporters to comb through – they will get bored.

5.     Devote time to creating catchy e-mail subject lines. Reporters receive hundreds of e-mails each day. Dust off the Thesaurus to make sure yours stands out.

6.     Create “reporter bait”: Hold an event and invite the media, frame your story as a local example of a national trend, and spotlight unique ties to trending news.

7.     Avoid slang and jargon that is specific to the profession. For us, these include SIS, ADL and even OT.

8.     Do not show up in a newsroom unannounced or cold call a reporter after 3 p.m.

Have you pitched an idea or story to the media lately? How did it go? I’d love to hear from you. E-mail me at kriley@aota.org and check back for more tips and tricks on how to get published in the mainstream media coming soon.

A recent blog post in Parents magazine online, “Therapy Tricks and Tips for Kids with Special Needs” (Parents.com, March 5, 2012) is an excellent example of promoting occupational therapy while enhancing the client-OT relationship.

The piece was written by AOTA member Loren Shlaes, a pediatric occupational therapist who lives and practices in Manhattan and specializes in sensory integration and school-based issues. It appeared on Ellen Seidman’s blog “To the Max” which focuses on raising children with special needs.

In this post, Shlaes offers advice to parents and caregivers to maximize their child’s OT session with tips of what to do before, during, after and in between sessions. Not only does the blog explain tips to people with loved ones receiving OT, it explains what the profession does to the masses as well.

“I was invited to supply the article after Heidi Kay, who is the owner of Pediastaff, wrote about her favorite therapist bloggers for Ellen Seidman's personal blog, ‘Love That Max,’ in January,” Shlaes said, adding that she will also write an essay for the website MindsinBloom.com entitled "What OT's want classroom teachers to know" in the near future.

In addition to the piece published by Parents, Shlaes maintains her own blog, “pediatricOT” with “notes from the trenches from a practicing occupational therapist.” Here she shares the ups and downs, tips and tricks for other OTs. She also did a series of podcasts that are available for download on Buzzsprout and is a regular contributor to PediaStaff.

Why dedicate the time to this?

“Updating my blog as often as I do is a huge commitment of time and energy. I often come home in the evenings after work and write and edit, and I spend a good portion of my weekends composing my pieces. I enjoy the process tremendously. I find it so satisfying when I have been able to express a complex idea in a simple, clear way,” said Shlaes, who says that her family’s love of books, writing and journalism are what originally motivated her to start writing about her work. “Blogging has brought wonderful rewards. I get emails from parents all over the world thanking me for helping them understand how to help their special needs children.  I have cyber acquaintances now in Australia, Italy, Canada, the Philippines, and all over the U.S.”

Are you using the media to promote OT? I want to hear from you! Email me at kriley@aota.org.

Phew! February may have had just one extra day this year, but occupational therapy practitioners across the country have packed a lot into this shortest of months. Here are some highlights of media placements for this month:

• The March 2012 edition of Woman’s Day magazine features a Q&A “Is It Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?” featuring information from occupational therapist Linda Klein. (Paid circulation: 3,863,710!)

• A Feb. 3 article in MPNnow (Canandaigua, NY) “Classrooms trade in chairs for well-rounded experience” explained the benefits of exercise balls in the classroom.

• A Feb. 7 article in The Des Moines Register “Problems eating? Therapy helps” explains the role of OT in feeding, eating and swallowing issues.

• AOTA board member Dr. Sudip Bose participated in three interviews while visiting the Washington, D.C. area including this live broadcast “Helping soldiers with PTSD” on News Channel 8 and a radio interview “Army doctor: Returning vets need psychological care” on WTOP. Another with NPR will be aired at a later time.

• On Feb. 27, U.S. News & World Report listed occupational therapy as No. 10 in their list of “The Best Jobs of 2012.”

• On Feb. 28, a reporter with The Orange County Register shared her experience with occupational therapy in “Getting the right care after surgery.”

• And rounding out the month, this Feb. 29 article about older driver safety appeared in The Wall Street Journal: “Safer Over 70: Drivers Keep the Keys” (2.1 million circulation!). Additionally on Feb. 29, KCET aired a series on older driver safety “Back to Driving School.” And an AOTA member’s work to help remodel a home for a wheelchair bound resident was featured in this Cincinnati Enquirer story “Covington remodel accommodates disabilities” (1.4 million circulation!).

Additional stories can be viewed through our OT in the News page. (AND if you are interested in seeing all 71 mentions for the month of February, contact me!)

Did you see occupational therapy mentioned in the news? While we monitor thousands of media outlets and choose only the best to post here, we’d like to hear from you. Email kriley@aota.org.

While some industries and professions struggle to sustain themselves in a rocky economy, occupational therapy is not only surviving, it’s thriving. And better yet, experts say that the need for occupational therapy practitioners will increase competitive job prospects in the coming decade.

Yesterday, U.S. News & World Report unveiled its “Best Jobs of 2012” list. The ranking considers job prospects, demand, competitive salaries, and job satisfaction in its decision.

Occupational therapy ranks an impressive 10^th.

According to the report, the growing baby boomer population is expected to keep the job market for occupational therapists especially favorable. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects occupational therapist employment growth of 33.5% between 2010 and 2020, adding 36,400 more professionals to the 108,800 already-existing jobs in this field.

In today’s economy, that’s huge!

So today, take a minute to breathe a sigh of relief and reflect on how wise you were to choose occupational therapy. Pat yourself on the back, celebrate even, and don’t forget to thank the mentor, guidance counselor or colleague that pointed you in the right direction.

Related Articles

To read the full report, visit: http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2012/02/27/the-best-jobs-of-2012?s_cid=related-links:TOP

To view the Top 25 list, visit: http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2012/02/27/the-best-25-jobs-of-2012-rankings?s_cid=related-links:TOP

To read the special portion on occupational therapy, visit: http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2012/02/27/best-jobs-2012-occupational-therapist

To view photos of the ranking, visit: http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/slideshows/the-10-best-jobs?s_cid=related-links:TOP

To view a video on the ranking, visit: http://money.usnews.com/video/careers/best-jobs-2012?s_cid=related-links:TOP

AOTA Board Member Dr. Sudip Bose is in town this week and as part of his visit, he made himself available to help promote OT.

Needless to say, we took him up on his offer and packed two days with media appearances.

Dr. Bose discussed occupational therapy’s role with PTSD, in a live interview Tuesday morning on News Channel 8. Here is a link to the program "NewsTalk." Dr. Bose’s portion is the last segment of the interview. (Thankfully our spot was not bumped by President Obama’s speech at the groundbreaking for the National Museum of African American History and Culture).

Additionally this week, we also scored interviews at NPR with Pentagon Correspondent Tom Bowman on Monday, and at WTOP with Mental Health Reporter Darci Marchese (also Tuesday), both of which will be aired at a later time. I will provide links once they are available.

And that’s not all that’s been exciting this month! Be sure to check OT Connections for a round-up of media highlights for February which will be posted next week.

The American Occupational Therapy Association has joined Pinterest! Check out our site at http://pinterest.com/aotainc.

Pinterest is a social photo sharing Web site where users can create and manage theme-based image collections based on the things they like. It operates as a virtual bulletin board — images can be sorted onto categorized “boards.” Other people can look at your pins and boards and, if they like something, they can re-pin it to their own boards. The idea is to connect people who find the same things interesting.

The communications staff at AOTA decided to jump on the bandwagon to share ideas with occupational therapy practitioners. What better way to share OT-related practice plans, developmental activities, therapy ideas, tips, organization techniques, products, blogs, annual conference details, and news articles than through photos and images?

Several AOTA members have already helped us get started by following us and re-pinning and liking our pins.

Christie Kiley recently blogged about her experiences sharing occupational therapy ideas though Pinterest on OT Connections. Kiley said that when she joined Pinterest last summer, she was anxiously awaiting the arrival her first baby. “I noticed that there were all these great kids' activities floating around and I thought to myself, ‘I could totally use that in therapy!’” So she created her OT pinboard called “The Therapist in Me” and started saving activities that she could incorporate into her pediatric therapy sessions. “As a new OT, this was such a breath of fresh air. I found a few ideas here and there and was content to have just a few things in my back pocket after being sleep deprived (you parents can relate!) and out of school and fieldwork for 6-plus months.”

Nicole Cortes has a board dedicated to craft ideas for OT. Bill Wong has a board dedicated to occupational therapy.

So what are you waiting for? Get pinning!

If you need an invite, please email Social Media Manager Samuel Gonzales at sgonzales@aota.org. Already have a Pinterest page? Be sure to follow our boards and pins and let us know how to find your page.

“Choose a job that you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” This saying could not be more accurate for anyone who has chosen a career in occupational therapy.

I came across this story, “One Class at a Time: Cooking Up Success” by the Central Illinois News Center (cinewsnow.com) and was instantly inspired by these two OTs.

The story explains how two Peoria, Ill. OTs work together to help high school students with special needs learn to make simple meals and stay safe in the kitchen. Money is tight—the classroom is not equipped with the basic appliances they need—but despite this, the OTs continue their mission of enhancing their students’ abilities.

When a surprise check for $1,000 arrives mid-interview, the sheer joy of the OTs is heart-warming because they know what it means for their students.

Have you come across an inspiring OT moment in the media? Send the information to Media Relations Manager Katie Riley at kriley@aota.org.

January was a busy month for occupational therapy in the media! Here are just a few stories worth checking out that feature fellow OTs and members of AOTA:

• On January 10, a story titled, Back from war, fear and danger fill driver’s seat, appeared in The New York Times. This story provides insight to occupational therapy techniques behind the wheel for returning military service members who have been deployed to war zones.

• On two evenings in January, WBAY-TV ABC 2 News (Green Bay, Wisc.), aired a two-part story on the recovery of Sgt. Adam Alexander. Alexander suffered a severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) while serving overseas. The stories, An inspirational day with Sgt. Adam Alexander and A day in Sgt. Alexander’s recovery from war explain how OT is putting him on the road to leading a normal life.

• Occupational therapy firm Fit For Work taps into Shale demand, the San Antonio Business Journal, Jan. 27. This story about workplace OT was originally published in the San Antonio Business Journal and was later re-run in several other publications including The Denver Post and The Cincinnati Enquirer.

• The Marion Star (Marion, Ohio) January 30 report Thinking Outside the Classroom explains coursework for the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program.

• A January 30 story in The Daily Press (Newport News, Va.), Study: Returning soldiers may struggle adjusting to civilian roadways, details the current research by Erica Stern, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA at the University of Minnesota.

• And finally, The American Occupational Therapy Association made a prestigious list this week. According to ExpoWeb.com, The AOTA’s Annual Conference made No. 10 of The Top 25 Fast-Growth Shows of 2011.

Did you see occupational therapy mentioned in the news? While we monitor thousands of media outlets and choose only the best to post here, we’d like to hear from you. Email Media Relations Manager Katie Riley at kriley@aota.org.

I got a letter from a Mississippi high school student last week explaining that she was working on a research project for her English class about her prospective career: occupational therapy. She said that her school does not have a career center and the project was two-fold: collect information on careers for the project and then donate the materials to the school library for future students’ use.

This young woman’s decision to enter the field of occupational therapy was a confident one, and rightly so. She’s already had her “ah-ha” moment and knew she and OT would be a perfect match.

What was your “ah-ha” moment? Mine happened my junior year of high school in the cafeteria when I saw my fellow classmates reading and learning from my first published school newspaper article. I knew then that I was first hooked on news.

As OT Month (April) approaches, take a minute to reflect on your “ah-ha” moment. Why did you choose OT as a profession?  What made you stick with it? What has been your most rewarding experience? What unique activities have you incorporated into your practice? Why do you love what you do?

We at AOTA want to hear about your most rewarding experiences to inspire others. Send me a sentence, or two (or more). We may end up using your example in an upcoming press release in preparation for OT Month.

Katie Riley is the media relations manager for the American Occupational Therapy Association. She can be reached at 301-652-6611 ext. 2963 or at kriley@aota.org.